Newcastle United salvaged a 3-3 draw against Premier League leaders Liverpool at St James’ Park.

Liverpool were on course for a fifth straight league win when Mohamed Salah turned a thrilling match on its head with a second-half double.

The outstanding Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon had earlier scored for Eddie Howe’s much-improved Magpies, either side of Curtis Jones sweeping home on his 150th Liverpool appearance.

But with stoppage time looming, Schar took advantage of Caoimhin Kelleher misjudging a Bruno Guimaraes cross to steer in a dramatic leveller.

While Newcastle are 10th, Liverpool’s lead at the summit now stands at seven points, with Chelsea and Arsenal both gaining ground after their respective wins against Southampton and Manchester United.

How the match unfolded

Both sides struck the woodwork during a lively opening, Alexis Mac Allister hitting the base of the post before Jacob Murphy did the same at the other end.

It was the hosts who took the lead after 35 minutes, Isak holding off Virgil van Dijk before crashing a wonderful effort into the top-right corner from outside the area.

Kelleher then denied Gordon with a one-on-one save, and the Reds drew level five minutes into the second half as Jones brilliantly swept Salah’s cutback into the roof of the net.

Newcastle inched ahead once again in the 62nd minute – Gordon cutting past Joe Gomez to fire home after linking up with Isak – but that lead was short-lived as Liverpool substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold found Salah for a simple finish.

Salah thought he had won it for Liverpool when he tucked home brilliantly on the turn, but there was to be a final twist. When Kelleher was caught beneath Guimaraes’ floated cross in the final minute of normal time, Schar slid into an empty net at the far post to send the St James’ Park crowd into raptures.

Newcastle find their shooting boots

After plundering 85 Premier League goals in 2023/24, Newcastle have seen their attacking efforts come under scrutiny in the early months of 2024/25, with Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace – in which they failed to record a shot on target, scoring via an own goal – doing nothing to quieten their critics.

On Wednesday, though, they were back to their old selves, with the indomitable Isak leading the way.

Taking in Guimaraes’ pass between the Liverpool lines, Isak showed tremendous strength and awareness to hold off Van Dijk before getting the ball out of his feet and lashing home the opener.

At his best, Isak is one of the Premier League’s finest all-round forwards, and he had already carved out two wonderful opportunities for team-mates before breaking the deadlock.

It was his well-placed through-ball that allowed Murphy in to rattle a post, and he could also have had an assist when sliding a pass between Van Dijk’s legs to find Lewis Hall, only for a fine recovery challenge from Gomez to save Liverpool.

Isak did register an assist after the break, timing his pass to perfection to release Gordon for Newcastle’s second goal, and if the Swede can stay fit and firing, Newcastle can challenge any team in this division.

However, Howe will know an improvement is needed at the back after they were cut apart by Salah and company after the interval. With Brentford – one of the league’s chief entertainers in 2024/25 – up next, expect more thrills and spills on Saturday.

Salah exploits not enough for victory

Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Manchester City last Sunday was soon overshadowed by talk regarding Salah’s future at the club.

However, that speculation has certainly not distracted Salah from his game.

He supplied a pinpoint cutback for Jones to crash home when Liverpool were on the back foot at 1-0 down, and was later in the right place at the right time to convert two Alexander-Arnold crosses, the England international making a fine impact after coming on as a 68th-minute substitute.

Salah has now registered both a goal and an assist in 37 different Premier League matches, more than any other player in the competition’s history. His 13th strike of 2024/25, meanwhile, took him ahead of Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot.

Arne Slot will be bitterly disappointed that Salah’s exploits were not enough to hand Liverpool three points, with a momentary lapse from Kelleher giving Schar an empty net to tuck into in the final minute of the 90.

But Newcastle tend to provide a sterner test than most, particularly on home soil, and if Salah can continue his incredible form, the Reds – who face city rivals Everton on Saturday – will be difficult to catch.

Club reports

Newcastle report | Liverpool report

Match officials

Referee: Andy Madley. Assistants: Wade Smith, Craig Taylor. Fourth official: Anthony Backhouse. VAR: Stuart Attwell. Assistant VAR: James Mainwaring.